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The differences between account associates and account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an account associate, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an account manager has an average salary of $68,535, which is higher than the $48,927 average annual salary of an account associate.
The top three skills for an account associate include customer service, work ethic and develop leads. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.
| Account Associate | Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $48,927 | $68,535 |
| Hourly rate | $23.52 | $32.95 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 98,235 | 152,261 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
An account associate is responsible for supporting the accounting and finance department in performing accounting operations, bookkeeping functions, and other related clerical tasks. Account associates analyze and sort financial statements accordingly, assist on payroll processing, evaluate account reconciliations and receivables, create financial reports, and updating recent account information on the database. They also handle clients' inquiries and concerns, routing calls to the appropriate accounting staff or department. An account associate must have excellent analytical and communication skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the accounting principles.
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Account associates and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Associate | Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $48,927 | $68,535 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $67,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an account associate and an account manager in terms of educational background:
| Account Associate | Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between account associates' and account managers' demographics:
| Account Associate | Account Manager | |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |